Heat pump or furnace: which is right for your home?

This is the question our technicians hear most. The answer depends on your home, but here is how to decide clearly.

Efficiency and running cost

A heat pump heats two to three times more efficiently than electric baseboards and generally costs less to run than a furnace over a year. It also cools in summer — one system, two seasons.

Deep cold

Cold-climate heat pumps heat efficiently well below zero. For the harshest days, a dual-energy system or backup source takes over. A gas furnace, meanwhile, remains unbeatable for raw heat at −30 °C.

Rebates

Often the deciding factor: a heat pump can qualify for thousands of dollars through LogisVert (Hydro-Québec), the federal grant and the interest-free Greener Homes Loan. A furnace does not.

Our recommendation

For most Montreal and Laval homes, a central or wall-mounted heat pump, alone or in dual-energy, is the best overall choice. We size every system to your floor plan before recommending anything.